The Smoked Salmon Scramble at Mary Ann’s Kitchen, served with potatoes and fruit. Great flavor!

One of the nice things about mooring our boat in Anacortes Marina is that we are in walking distance of all the stores and restaurants in downtown Anacortes. This gives us easy access to grocery stores, drug stores, hardware stores, marine stores…and also many good places to eat.

This summer we have had breakfast out at three downtown Anacortes restaurants: Mary Ann’s Kitchen, Adrift Restaurant, and Calico Cupboard Café and Bakery.

Brent’s Special with French Toast at Mary Ann’s Kitchen. Yum!

Mary Ann’s Kitchen is still our favorite, offering a diverse menu for breakfasts and lunches. The food is local, fresh, and attractively presented. The atmosphere in the restaurant is casual and friendly. Since they are located on a side street, it is harder for tourists to find the restaurant, and therefore many of the customers are locals. We’ve always had good service and haven’t found a bad meal yet. Prices are moderate. Mary Ann’s is open only for breakfast and lunch.

The Anchor breakfast at Adrift Restaurant, two eggs and garlic mashed potatoes, with smoked trout fillet and whole wheat toast. Nice!

Adrift Restaurant is our second favorite. Their food is also local, attractively served, and very tasty. They offer excellent food, but a smaller menu. The atmosphere is a little more upscale, but still comfortable. We found their service to be a little disappointing. It took a long time to have menus brought to us and then it was slow to get our food. Prices at Adrift are at the high end, reflecting their special attention to ingredients and presentation. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The Fisherman’s breakfast at Calico Cupboard…eggs and potatoes with chicken apple sausage and whole grain toast.

Calico Cupboard has been serving breakfasts and lunches in Anacortes as long as we’ve been in the area with our boat (since 2002). Their website says they opened in Anacortes in 1992. The restaurant is located prominently on a corner of Commercial Avenue and is easy to spot. As a result, it seems to be a perfect place for locals to bring out-of-town guests, and many tourists find their way to Calico Cupboard. The atmosphere is casual and the meals are hearty. They offer a very diverse menu, with moderate prices. They also offer many yummy take-out items from their bakery. We found their service to be a bit slow, and, while the food was good, the meals didn’t have the pizazz or heart that we noticed in Mary Ann’s Kitchen and Adrift. Calico Cupboard is open only for breakfast and lunch.

Blueberry pancakes with chicken apple sausage at Calico Cupboard.